A councillor has branded a government plan to speed up the discharge of Isle of Wight hospital patients who are well enough to leave as ‘not very helpful’.
It has also been revealed that, on Monday, there were only 19 residential, nursing and care beds available on the Isle of Wight (though the situation changes hourly, and some patients have a need for specialist beds).
Councillor Chris Jarman, Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet member for strategic finance, called the government’s approach interesting but simplistic, for what he says is a rather complex issue.
For over a year, a lack of care in the community has caused backlogs at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport — known as bed blocking.
The Newport hospital has an average of between 70 and 75 patients who could be discharged, but cannot leave because of a lack of community care.
Across England, the number of patients on Monday who did not need to be in hospital stood at around 13,000.
This week, a £250 million fund was announced by Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay MP. It aims to help councils buy extra beds in community care settings
On Tuesday, at the Isle of Wight Council’s corporate scrutiny committee meeting, Cllr Jarman said the Island has a circular problem — a lack of care and nursing home places, a lack of staff and a lack of community carers. He highlighted an enormous under-provision not addressed by the government’s policy.
Cllr Jarman said:
“[The policy] is not very helpful. It does not matter if you provide money, it is only part of the answer.
“We need people and places, combined with money.”
He said it also required more integrated working with health services and local authorities, to implement reforms and a strategic way of addressing the need.
Adult social care is one of the biggest budget pressures the council faces as, among other issues, the authority has to pay more for agency staff to fill gaps in its workforce.
Been longer than 18months with bed shortages, the issue is staff shortages and long working hours. The quicker those in charge realise this the sooner it will be sorted but to sort any major issue there has to be a drive from those in charge. If they were not so hell-bent on privatisation and subcontracting services out it would be reached and achieved quicker. To spend that amount of money on contract staff when your own staff are on lower wages is disgusting and a slap in the face to those committed to supplying an extraordinary service on the NHS.
The hospital itself does not decide what it pays the staff – that is done through Agenda for Change – a government decision.
Staff members are leaving to join agencies because they’re paying 3 times the amount the NHS pays PER HOUR, for working the same job, on the same ward, with the same responsibility, if not a little less. Isn’t that a no brainer?
If the government were to pay what staff deserve, then staff wouldn’t leave to join agencies – then the money that does go to the NHS wouldn’t be billed to agencies – for them filling the recruitment gaps.
Why do you think so many departments within the NHS are striking? Because we deserve more, not because we’re greedy, but because we are valuable workers!
Yep.
The gammons bleat about NHS staff striking for pay with one breath, then whine and squeal when they use the free market forces so beloved by Tories give them another route to better pay.
Odd how the gammons moan and cry about lefties and socialists in one breath, then talk drivel about banning agencies to force doctors and nurses to work directly for the NHS in the next, which is effectively communist doctrine.
But then the average gammon isn’t the sharpest tool in the box. Some still think Brexit was a good idea.
He’s absolutely right. The whole problem is the lack of care spaces. What do the government think the hospitals are doing if not trying to find places for discharged patients. It shows a government not understanding the problem.
“Not very helpful” doesn’t really do justice to this supremely incompetent and out-of-touch government.
Agree, They are nothing but a bunch of BANKERS !
The problem centres on the fact that a patient is described as “fit for discharge” but in reality, their condition needs ongoing care – and the NHS don’t fund this. Neither does the council have sufficient funding to provide care for these people. And the lack of funds means that there is a lack of carers due to their poor pay and lack of career progression. What we need is a joined up system that allows carers to train towards nursing qualification in a care setting, and for the care system to acknowledge that they are growing nursing and other health professionals. Until this happens, nothing will change and the crisis will grow. We all know that those with dementia are not eligible for health funding and this is part of the problem.
Council does get funding for these people. That’s why they can afford to pay exorbitant care rates on the mainland because there is a shortage of places over there.
Councils have a legal duty to make sure care is available for people who are unable to do certain things in their daily lives
Until 2014 care places were directly funded by central government. They then made local councils responsibility under their drive for more localisation.
Shortly after that they defunded local governments (voted for, twice, by Seely) and capped how much of the lost revenue could be recovered via council tax.
The upshot was that local councils were forced to sell off their care homes and outsource care.
Then we had Brexit and the low paid Eastern European care workers went home and many more quit over the Covid vaccine diktat.
That got us to the situation we are in now where people are dying in ambulances because the entire hospital and care system is backed up like a sewer full of wet-wipes.
I normally agree with all you say…….
But you can not go around calling old people wet-wipes.
Doesn’t sound complex to me Councillor Jarman. Rubbish council who can’t plan their way out of a paper bag. Social care problem has been front and facing for years, just getting worse.
Well it’s only going to get worse !!!!!
Planning committee take note !!!!
More houses more people, more needing hospital treatment etc , we all get older !!!!!
More bed blocking!!!!!
The island infrastructure is not able to support the problem now ,,,, look further than the end of your nose …
It’s getting worse …..
Stop building for profit, brownfield site’s for affordable housing for islanders only !!!!!
If they build a tunnel, then more staff could commute from mainland to Island, and not be late for work, due to cancelled or missing ferries.. More business’ would crop up on this Island instead of just5 more and more houses.. would also no doubt get better dental practices, or at least Islanders could travel easier, cheaper and at any time, to mainland. Island commuters would be able to be on time for jobs, interviews, venues etc etc… simples… Just think how many visitors would come to this Island again… they would be able to spend the hundreds of pounds on this Island instead of giving it to the ferry companies..
Don’t hear of any of the Home Builders firms, stating they will also build a large Care home, or a new hospital …. but then without a tunnel, what’s the point, no workers will commute with useless expensive ferries.. ie:care worker, on minimum wage, 40 hours a week, has to pay rent or mortgage ( if lucky) and household bills, and then fork out £2000.00 + for annual ferry ticket…NO THANKS…
Why don’t you just move to the mainland mate ?
Be careful what you wish for……imo.
The Council forced good homes to close and didn’t fund others, rubbish they can’t afford as a hospital bed costs more and also stops others who need hospital bed and creating deaths in community and long waiting time’s sat in Ambulance. Sat in Ambulance 10hrs must cost £400/500 and hospital bed about same perday – residential care about £150 a week (7days). Plenty space in County Hall for few beds!.
Care home places are paid for by council tax. Hospital places are paid for by general taxation and National Insurance.
Someone “blocking” a hospital bed costs the council nothing.
“Residential Care about £150 per week” – which cardboard box outside which shop doorway would that be?
Try 150 a day minimum
Does anybody remember a Prime Minister (several back now) who stood on the steps of Downing Street at his election victory and stated that he had a plan for solving the social care problem which he would implement immediately? I think we’re still waiting.
What luck, Bozo is looking for a safe seat for 2024! Welcome to Wight West, Boris.
Also remember the tens of millions of people who believed him. Probably millions that still would. Tragic.
If you take out the left wing dogma in the comments of its either the NHS or nothing and we should continue throwing billions at it no matter whether it improves or not you are left with people either blaming the hospital, the family doctor, the care sector or the carers. So basically everything. We all know the NHS is fundamentally broken and only a complete overhaul will solve it. While medical and hospital staff are normally above reproach the people who run the system have fiddled whilst Rome burnt, if they took a year off would anyone actually notice.
If the GP centres were to see patients before they become too unwell then these high numbers in hospital would be greatly reduced.